Best masks for virus protection?

Every since we had a few virus scares like H1N1, Sars etc. I have been planning on buying some good quality masks in case we ever need them. So I had a few questions.

Has anyone used the NanoMask like in the link below? It seems like I remember reading that they did a good job because the seal around the face better. At the time this stuff was sold out every where so I want to buy before another scare happens and you can't get them for several months.Nano Mask

Is this the company that makes them? They show up on web search but I don't see the product on the site.NMI Health

Are there better options for small portable virus protection?What are your plans in case of a wide spread virus outbreak or something similar and you can't stay cooped up in your house?

Do gas masks filter viruses or is it common to be able to buy filters that are multi purpose and filter gasses and viruses?

When you see news reports of people walking around in what appears to be surgical masks or N95 type dust masks (especially in Asian countries) after some flu incident, those masks are MUCH better at protecting you from the wearer's germs. To put another way, if the person wearing the mask sneezes, you're going to be more protected from them than if you sneezed on a person wearing a mask.

If you have facial hair or the mask doesn't fit good, it's not going to work.

Live paranoia trumps dead bravado, every time. (Why I carry.)
Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius."For when we come home, either standing or dead,to know you remember we fought and we bledis payment enough, and with that we will trust.That we mattered to you as you mattered to us." Standing Guard : by Michael Marks

Actually, the N95 are just fine. H1N1, H5N1,H5N2and eventually H5N3 (the flu pandemic you and I fear) only attatch to respiratory tract cells. The N95 is fine to prevent aspiration of the virus. You cannot get it through the eyes, you can however get it from yourself, when you remove your mask if the virus is on your clothes or skin (specially hands that touch your face (mouth and nose) many times per minute). Also a good idea to have respiratory tract antibiotics available as many will die from secondary bacterial pneumonia when the bug shuts down your respiratory tract defenses. Hope this helps.

For an out-and-out pandemic type flu, I will not be using a mere N95. P100 full-face respirator is first-line, followed by first-run N100s with exhalation valve (masks are more comfy and last longer if they aren't wet.

N95 are not much more than dust masks, certainly not a filter media fine enough to reliably trap virii.

Test out my theory: wear an N95 mask, and let someone with the flu sneeze on you and keep your eyes open.

Aside from the absurd: in an area of high prevalence, the flu virus will be on a great many surfaces from sneezes, people's hands, etc. That virus can live up to 8 hours on some surfaces.

You come along, touch the area, transfer virus to your skin, then scratch your eye, you've just put a virus in your body to replicate.

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There are various types of flu that attach to various systems normally GI or respiratory. The Avian flu is solely respiratory. As of testing your theory I do it everyday I work. I don't want to turn this into a pissing contest so if you want to spend your money in hi-tech masks go right ahead. I rather spend the money in antibiotics and making my house able to keep the bug outside. Another pointer this is one SHTF that you want to bug-in for. There will probably be 3waves, so unless you are forced out of your home you should plan to stay indoors for 6-9 months

It is believed that most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. However, other means of transmission are also possible, such as thevirus becoming aerosolized and landing on exposed surfaces of the mouth, nose, or eyes, or being inhaled into the lungs.

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Workers who cannot wear a disposable particulate respirator because of facial hair or other fit limitations should wear a loose-fitting (i.e., helmeted or hooded) powered air purifying respirator equipped with high-efficiency filters.

That part of the CDC website hadn't been updated since 2007. Once upon a time people though they could catch HIV from a toilet seat.
This is the up to date (but lie so they don't panic) government site for the avian flu.

There are various types of flu and there are even various types of Avian flu. The one I discuss here is the next mutation that hasn't happened in the wild yet but has in the lab. The mortality rate could be as much as 80% and the mask is not as important of you manage to prepare your house to keep the bug out, and don't let anyone in or out for at least 6 months. If you are forced out there is a great likelihood you'll get it regardless of what mask you are sporting.

That part of the CDC website hadn't been updated since 2007. Once upon a time people though they could catch HIV from a toilet seat.
This is the up to date (but lie so they don't panic) government site for the avian flu.

There are various types of flu and there are even various types of Avian flu. The one I discuss here is the next mutation that hasn't happened in the wild yet but has in the lab. The mortality rate could be as much as 80% and the mask is not as important of you manage to prepare your house to keep the bug out, and don't let anyone in or out for at least 6 months. If you are forced out there is a great likelihood you'll get it regardless of what mask you are sporting.

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I am an Emergency/trauma room practitioner and and currently fighting a pandemic of pertussis also known as whooping cough that is currently tearing up the country (young and old) and hadn't even made the evening news. My state WA is desperate and has requested CDC support but in the end of the day don't believe everything they are selling, and if anyone will ever help you it will be folks like me, not the CDC. Rant over.

My state WA is desperate and has requested CDC support but in the end of the day don't believe everything they are selling, and if anyone will ever help you it will be folks like me, not the CDC. Rant over.

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Maybe the CDC figures you're a bunch of geniuses who think vaccines aren't natural and don't work--you've made your proverbial bed so to say. I'll bet the number of vaccine exemptions go down next year. Herd immunity only works when most of the herd are immunized.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Washington state leads the nation in vaccination exemptions, with 6.2 percent of children enrolled in kindergarten having a reported exemption. The next closest state to Washington was Virginia with 5.8 percent.

Of Washington’s 5,015 vaccine exemptions in the 2009/2010 school year, 4,684, or just more than 90 percent, were for philosophical reasons.

Vaccination exemption rates in Whatcom County have just about doubled since 1997, according to data from the state department of health. In the 1997-98 school year, 4.8 percent of children enrolled in K-12 had received exemptions from vaccinations. By the 2010/2011 school year, that figure had almost doubled to 9.3 percent.

Don't forget about illegals in Washington (you can get a driver's license with an electric bill and a note from the Mexican Consulate). They are poorly vaccinated and are a huge part of the problem with herd immunity in Washington.

You are both right about the vaccination issues, because the over liberal "I shell not vaccine my kids because..." and the illegals are the main reason for this, and other issues. We have the highest amount of TB and meningitis per capita in the US too. Believe me I am not proud of this. Things that should have been irradiated keep coming back, which does not make my job any easier. Now with Obama care its all going to come down to crap anyways.

I have been doing a lot of Duracoat projects lately, and I have several masks that can be found in hardware stores or online for under $50 that work quite well. The filters are wide in variety, and the top line filters I use will most certainly work for pretty much anything. If the eye exposure bit is an issue for you, opt for a pair of goggles. I also keep a bio suit (Tyvek with booties), rubber gloves, and a bio hazard cleanup kit on hand at home, along with potassium iodide and a K8 Nuke detector, shortwave/NOAA radio...blah blah blah. The bio hazard cleanup kit consist of plastic sheeting, duct tape, a plastic bucket, sponges, antibacterial soap, bleach, towel and water.

You are both right about the vaccination issues, because the over liberal "I shell not vaccine my kids because..."

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Not trying to start a fight here, but take is easy with that stuff. We aren't big fans of vaccines (we seriously needed a vaccine for chicken-pox?) and the nanny state we live in, but were talked in to vaccinating shortly after my son was born. After an allergic reaction to the vaccine my son ended up on life-support in the nicu at UCSD for 3 weeks. There is also a considerable amount of research questioning the benefits of some vaccines as well as possible side-effects. Not to mention the children who have died from reactions to them. Attitudes change very quickly when your newborn is 2 days old, dieing and you can't even hold him all because of something you consented to while thinking you were doing the right thing. All I'm saying is try to be open-minded and doing a little research into both sides of an argument before resorting to name calling. He did survive and is healthy today.

sorry for my rant and getting off topic. I do have a set of 6 full face respirators sealed along with 6 sets of filters for each just in case. Not sure how much help they will be but I'd rather have them and not need 'em. Stocked up after the last wild fires before leaving CA. My wife has asthma, so I gave her the full face mask I wear when I use the paint sprayer or when sealing a wood project. That's when I got to thinking that I needed more than one. Took an hour to dig an find a new set of filters for her to use, now we are better organized.